A man dropping off two students outside of charter schools in Chicago was arrested by federal immigration authorities this week as part of the Trump administration’s push to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. The man, identified as 37-year-old Francisco Andrade-Berrera, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents outside of Victoria Soto High and Jovita Idar Elementary schools. The principals of both schools sent a letter to families confirming the incident and reassuring them that the students were safely escorted to their respective campuses.
This arrest comes amidst the Trump administration’s claims of arresting over 20,000 immigrants in the span of one month. ICE officials alleged that Andrade-Berrera was a member of a street gang and had criminal convictions for drug trafficking, gang loitering, and property damage. The Trump administration has recently ended a policy restricting ICE agents from making arrests at sensitive locations such as schools, churches, and hospitals.
The Biden administration, in fiscal year 2024, made 113,431 immigration arrests, with 28% of those arrested having no criminal convictions or pending criminal charges. In Arkansas, 219 undocumented immigrants were arrested in a statewide operation, with some having criminal records while others did not. The U.S. attorneys for Arkansas emphasized that the individuals targeted for arrest had previous encounters with law enforcement in the past three years and were not removed at that time. Overall, the recent increase in arrests and deportations has raised concerns among school officials and immigrant communities about safety and the impact on families.
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